


Apple Green Eyes

by otaku72fandom



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fred Weasley Lives, Good Slytherins, Gryffindor/Slytherin Inter-House Relationships, Hogwarts, M/M, Multiple Endings, Romance, Slytherin Pride, Wizarding World, follows all through hogwarts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-09
Updated: 2017-12-09
Packaged: 2019-02-12 18:28:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12965706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/otaku72fandom/pseuds/otaku72fandom
Summary: Emily Koshkov was born the eldest child in the newest generation of Koshkovs, a highly regarded pureblood wizarding family. She has the trademark dark hair and pale skin as the rest of her family, but her eyes are bright green. She didn't really know she was different until she started her first year at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. There she's forced to befriend Draco Malfoy, who in her opinion is completely horrid. As the years pass Emily grows to have feelings for Draco but is stuck between him and the irresistible charm of Fred Weasley. Emily has to make a choice, will she pursue the life her parents always wanted for her, or will she take the chance and fight with the Order of the Pheonix against Voldemort. (There will be multiple endings so really you, the reader get to choose how it ends)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! So the first chapter is up. I've been playing around with this idea in my head for months now and I finally have the whole thing planned out so it can finally be written! Enjoy the chapter and the next one will be up soon. (Oh btw, the focus will be on Draco in years 1-4 and then over to Fred in 5 & 6, and in 4th it will be both of them)

The Koshkov family was one of the highest ranking wizarding families in the world. They had too much money for their own good and back in the day, used it to support You-Know-Who. But that was until 10 years ago when the Dark Lord was defeated by a small child called Harry Potter. The Koshkovs claimed to be under the influence of the Imperius Curse, and while they were released from the Ministry’s iron grip without receiving any charges, it was a sort of common knowledge that the Koshkovs knew exactly what was going on.  
Within the past few years, the eldest members of the family passed away, leaving the family in the hands of Xavier and Katherine Koshkov. While they openly supported Lord Voldemort in the old days, now, they tried to keep things as hush-hush as they could. They had two children, Michael and Emily. Michael had dark hair and even darker eyes. He was on the short side for a boy of 10 and had a wild temper which he had a problem controlling.  
Emily Koshkov was their eldest child and only daughter. She had wild black hair that would only stay put if you struggled with it for an hour or two. In contrast with her dark tresses, Emily had very pale skin and eyes the color of a granny smith apple.  
She was known to be very polite and respectful of most people, even to the house elf Lolly who had been with the Koshkovs since before Emily was born. Lolly was a small elf with large blue eyes and hands that shook when she was doing anything that wasn’t in front of Mrs. Koshkov. Lolly silently entered the young girl’s room and pulled back Emily’s dark blue curtains. The morning summer light shone through them and made Emily blink and sit up.  
“Good morning, mistress.” Lolly said, tying the curtains back with a thread. Emily yawned and nodded her head sleepily at the elf. Lolly, used to how tired and unresponsive Emily was in the mornings continued about, “Shall I bring you up your mail, young mistress. There’s a letter I think will make you very pleased.”  
Emily rubbed her eyes and opened them, revealing a light green color that no one else in her family had. You could tell from the family portraits of the Koshkovs, the entire family’s eyes were dark green or brown. Emily had never really noticed it before until her great aunt pointed it out a few years ago and suggested that Katherine had had an affair because there was no way a Koshkov would have had such light eyes. Emily’s mother simply brushed off the comment and didn’t invite Great Aunt Marissa to tea after that. Michael’s eyes may as well have been black, unless you took a good look at them and realized they were an extremely dark shade of brown.  
Emily let another yawn slip past her lips, “Yes, of course Lolly. Is it from Clarissa? Ever since she moved to France I’ve been hearing from her less and less.”  
“Not exactly, young mistress.” Lolly said.  
“Well, bring it up then…and my breakfast too, I don’t feel like eating with my family this morning.” Lolly nodded and vanished with the sound of a cracking whip. She returned a few seconds later carrying a large silver tray with eggs, bacon, toast, a few pancakes and a glass of orange juice as well as a letter placed beside it.  
Emily arranged her pillows on the headboard of her luxurious bed to create a comfortable seat for herself as Lolly placed the tray in her lap. Lolly clasped her shaking hands in front of her,  
“Will that be all, miss?”  
Emily nodded, wasting no time in taking a bite of toast, “Yes, thank you.” Lolly nodded and vanished.  
Emily enjoyed the quiet comfort of her room for a moment. There were no posters or anything that would signify it as her own besides the large ornate ‘E’ above her vanity. She swallowed her toast and glanced at the letter on her plate. She picked it up and saw her name written across the front in emerald green ink.

_Emily Katherine Koshkov_   
_Koshkov Estate, 2 Lanyard Way,_   
_Winchester, England_

Emily hummed and flipped it over to look at the front of the letter and nearly dropped her fork. The seal, in dark red wax, showed a crest with four sections, each with a different animal. One had a lion, another a badger, another an eagle and the last a serpent. Emily had gotten a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Lolly was right, this made Emily very pleased. She wasted no time in tearing open the letter and quickly scanned the contents.

_Dear Miss Emily Koshkov,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find_ enclosed list _of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl no later than July 31st._

_Yours sincerely,_   
_Minerva McGonagall_   
_Deputy Headmistress_

Emily squealed and moved her tray to the side before jumping out of bed and rushing down the stairs in her nightdress, breakfast forgotten. Her bare feet made tiny pattering noises on the dark wood floor as she raced along the hallway and turned straight into the dining room.  
“Mother! Father!” She cried out, “You’ll never guess what-” Emily stopped short as her eyes rose to the scene in the dining room. Her parents and younger brother were sitting at the table, all fully dressed and silently eating her own breakfast. They stared at her in an utter shock as Emily realized she had broken the family rule of not leaving your bedchamber in your night clothes as it was considered very rude. Even on Christmas, Emily had to put on a dress and a sweater before running down the stairs to open presents. “Sorry,” she said quietly, “I was just so excited.”  
“Whatever about?” Her father asked. Emily meekly handed him the letter and Xavier took it from her and scanned it. “Very good Emily.” He said evenly. He glanced up at his daughter who seemed to be waiting for something. “What is it?”  
Emily smiled awkwardly, “You just, don’t seem, very excited.”  
“Why should I be?” Xavier questioned, “You have done what is expected of you; that is nothing exceptional.”  
Emily bowed her head, “Yes, father.”  
“You should also know that being in Slytherin is another thing expected of you, Emily. It is tradition and you must uphold it.”  
“Yes, father.” She took the letter back and headed up towards the stairs.  
“Don’t forget to send Leonardo with a reply.” Her mother called after her, “and put some decent clothes on. This afternoon is the party.” Ah yes, the party. As part of the wizard elite, the Koshkovs often attended fancy soirees and dinner parties with other witches and wizards who had too much to do. In attendance, this afternoon would be high standing families whose children had been accepted into the prestigious school too, not exactly celebrate, but acknowledge that their children would be going to Hogwarts. Emily wasn’t sure why she was that excited at all really about the letter. She knew she was going to get in any way, displaying magical abilities since she could walk, Emily had been viewed as rather gifted.  
She stuck her head out of the window and called for the family owl, Leonardo. Who was regal and proud with grey and black feathers and a sharp beak. He landed on the window sill and waited as Emily quickly scrawled out an affirmative response to the letter and signed her name, tying it around the owl’s leg. “Take this to Hogwarts.” She told him. The bird gave her a skeptical look, as if to say he wasn’t stupid and already knew where to go. And then took off flying North. Emily sighed again before finishing the trek to her room.  
She made a point of hiding there for the majority of the day, making a neater list of the school supplies needed for Hogwarts. Next, to each item she wrote the shop where it could be found, and organized them so she could be finished after one walk through Diagon Alley and avoid having to backtrack for any reason. When it was noon, Emily pulled the dark green ribbon holding her braid in her hair and called for Lolly.  
The elf appeared and when she saw Emily sitting in the vanity chair with her hair hanging freely, she went to work. Lolly pinned and styled Emily’s thick head of hair until it was in a beautiful up-do with a few strands of her raven locks hanging in her face. Emily thanked her.  
“Should I fetch a dress, miss?”  
“Yes. Has my mother told you which one she’s selected?”  
“Yes, miss, they grey one, miss.”  
Emily groaned, “I hate the grey one. Couldn’t I wear the white one with the orchids?”  
“Both you and I would get into trouble if we did that, miss.” Lolly pointed out and Emily grumbled a response as the house elf fetched the grey dress and the matching shoes for Emily to wear.  
The grey dress wasn’t all that ugly, Emily just found it to be incredibly boring. It was light and thin with a few ruffles on it and matching shoes. She pulled up the heels on her matching grey shoes and descended the steps of the Koshkov Manor. Koshkov Manor was at least four giant stories tall. Its dark spires scraped the clouds and every bay window was covered in navy curtains. The manor was surrounded by dark forest, but the Koshkovs had cleared enough space for an immaculate garden where the party was to be held. Emily made her way through the winding hallways, pulling at her dress slightly every few minutes. It was too uncomfortable for her to wear and look pretty; however, Katherine Koshkov insisted it made Emily look ‘presentable’.  
The young girl opened the doors to the garden party. Around the edges was a twisting hedge maze that even Lolly could not navigate. There were countless flower beds surrounding the gazebo and various tables. Splashing the usually monotone garden with reds, yellows, blues, and pinks. Emily found her mother having a rather dull conversation with a man Emily had never seen before. He had long straight blonde hair that fell like a curtain down his back. He was carrying a cane with an iron snake at its head, even though he looked too young to need one at all. His eyes glanced at her for a moment and Emily saw that they were harsh and demanding.  
“Emily, dear,” Her mother reached down and put a heavy hand on her shoulder, “This is Lucius Malfoy. His son will also be in his first year at Hogwarts.” Emily read between the lines of her mother’s words. Katherine wanted her to befriend whoever this son might be, and if she failed or misbehaved, there would be consequences Emily couldn’t begin to imagine. She gave Lucius Malfoy and elegant curtsy.  
“It is an honor to meet you, Sir.” Emily clasped her hands behind her back, exactly how she had been taught. Mr. Malfoy still looked skeptically at her before raising his left hand and snapping his gloved fingers.  
“Draco!” His voice was cold and harsh like Emily’s mother. If it wasn't for the pitch, she might not have even been able to tell the difference. A boy who looked around Emily’s age appeared by Lucius’ side. He had the same white blonde hair and grey eyes as his father. He wore a sour expression that made Emily cringe. “This is Emily Koshkov. I trust you two will be able to behave.” the boy, newly named Draco, shifted his icy stare from the scenery of the Koshkov gardens to Emily. Ever since she was little, Emily Koshkov had a knack for looking below the surface of people. She was good at knowing their emotions, even if they weren’t showing it, and what she saw in the Malfoy child was a little sad. On the surface, he was cruel and harsh, like his father; however, under the thin cover was something much different, a curtain of loneliness. He was quite troubled, from what Emily could tell. But then again, who isn't these days?  
“It is lovely to meet you, Malfoy.” She gave him a low curtsy, without smiling.  
Draco crossed his arms and scowled again. “I’m sure it is. So, you’re a Koshkov.” he put too much emphasis on the K; making Emily cringe once more. “It’s no doubt you’ll be in Slytherin.” Draco sounded like he was constantly taunting someone, and Emily inferred that he always was. “Father,” Draco turned back to Lucius. “Forgive me, but I don’t see the reason I have to talk to someone now who will be in all of my classes for the next seven years!”  
Lucius glared at his son, “Draco, show some respect.” His words were even but heavy and Draco shut his mouth instantly.  
“Likewise, Koshkov.” Draco’s left eyebrow twitched and he bowed reluctantly. Katherine had begun to speak with Lucius again and the two children were utterly ignored.  
“I take it we are supposed to entertain ourselves then,” Draco muttered and Emily wasn’t sure if she was supposed to hear him. Draco’s brows furrowed in thought before he extended his hand. “Miss Koshkov, forgive me for my previous behavior, would you do me the honor of having the next dance?” Emily looked behind him at the quaint patio where a large number of couples were dancing in perfect unison to classical music courtesy of some self-playing instruments. Emily had had plenty of dancing lessons before this moment and she had no doubts Draco did too. This was just a formality to keep both of their parents’ quiet for a while.  
“I would be honored.” Emily gently placed her hand on top of Draco’s and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. His hand rested rather gently on Emily’s waist and they stepped to the beat of the music.  
After about a minute of silence, Emily spoke. “I want you to know that you can’t fool me.” Draco maintained his cool expression.  
“What on Earth are you talking about?”  
“That straight-laced, harshly disciplined, pure-blood bigheadedness act of yours.” Draco sneered,  
“If you weren’t a pure-blood I would leave this dance right now.”  
“You’re a Malfoy; you wouldn’t do anything that would harm your reputation.”  
“You’re a Koshkov; you change your loyalty far too quickly.” Emily’s expression turned sour.  
“I’ll have you know that I will remain perfectly loyal.”  
“To which side?” Malfoy leered. The song ended, and Emily stepped back from the irritable boy.  
“The right one.”

(*) (*) (*)

Diagon Alley was always a crowded and bustling place, which made it just that much harder for the Koshkovs to shove their daughter through the front door of Ollivander's Wand Shop. The Koshkovs believed that choosing a wand was one of the most important occurrences in a witch or wizard’s life. This is why they thought it best to be a personal and private experience.  
The door clicked shut behind Emily and she glanced around the empty shop. “Hello?” she called, her voice echoed off the walls. “Anybody home?!” Suddenly, an elderly man with wiry white hair appeared from around a corner,  
“Please wait a moment.” He said, not looking up from the box he was holding. “I must finish-” Ollivander stopped short when he saw Emily rocking back and forth on her toes, “A Koshkov.” He breathed, and set down the box. The elderly shop owner approached Emily with a sort of caution, as if not wanting to upset her in any way.  
Emily smiled at him, “Good morning, Mr. Ollivander. I believe I don't have to tell you why I'm here.”  
He still seemed a bit disconcerted but forced a smile. “Of course Miss Koshkov, let’s get to finding you a wand.” The elderly man turned and began rummaging through the various shelves. “For a Koshkov…Let’s see…Ah!” Ollivander pulled out a pitch black wand box and walked back to the impatient 11-year-old. “Why not give this one a try, Miss Koshkov.” He opened the box and Emily took the wand from inside. It was short and made of dark wood, with ancient markings faintly carved on it. She flicked her wrist. Suddenly, all the dust on the floor flew towards the windows and stained them with their filth. “Oh, I’m incredibly sorry!” Ollivander snatched the wand from Emily’s hand quickly and went back to rummaging.  
“There's nothing to apologize for.” Emily called halfheartedly at Ollivander as he rummaged through more wands. Soon Emily held a new wand. This one was long and made of a slightly green-tinted wood. She waved it at a mirror and her reflection turned ghastly. Ollivander cringed, “That is…quite strange. The only other person whom I’ve had to try more than two wands with was…” Emily set the wand down.  
“Who, Sir?”  
“Oh, nothing for you to worry about, Miss Koshkov. Let’s continue, shall we?”  
“No, wait a moment,” Emily leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. “I’d like to know who it is, Ollivander, Sir. I swear I won’t tell a soul. I doubt my parents would even be interested anyway.” The wandmaker paused as he continued to look for Emily’s destined wand.  
“Oh, but thing is, Miss Koshkov, I feel they would be very interested.” Ollivander continued looking for a wand until he huffed and mumbled to himself, “There’s no way this one will work but we’ll give it a try.” He walked back over to Emily and looked over the wand. “13 inches, pine, core…unicorn hair.” He paused to try and bend the wand, “Very brittle indeed.” He gingerly handed the light colored wand with the ornate handle over the counter to Emily. She grasped it, but before she could attempt to move, it began to rain. Not water, however, but light pink cherry blossoms. They swirled around her feet and lifted her slightly off the ground. The wind wove through her hair and bent it into a long and voluminous braid with cherry blossoms woven into it. Ollivander was staring, “Are you sure you weren’t adopted, Emily Koshkov?” Emily narrowed her pale green eyes,  
“I am most definitely sure. What exactly makes you question my lineage?”  
“I’m sorry, Miss Koshkov. It’s just, no one in your entire family history has possessed such a…good intentioned wand.” Emily took a small step back; her wand was, good intentioned? Flustered by Ollivander’s words, Emily hastily paid for her wand and made her way to exit the shop when Ollivander stopped her. “Miss Koshkov, you asked who it was who was in my shop earlier today. Well, from your wand I can tell you are trustworthy, so I’ll tell you. The person who was in my shop was, Harry Potter.”

(*) (*) (*)

Harry Potter? Emily’s thoughts raced as she stepped outside the shop with her wand. Is Harry Potter my age? I mean judging from the history I’ve heard about it from father he would be. Is harry potter going to be at Hogwarts? What does this mean for my family…and more importantly myself?  
“Emily, what happened to your hair?” A taunting voice called. Emily turned to the left to see her family. Xavier Koshkov was a tall man with light brown hair and eyes so dark one might never find their way out of them. He stood tall as if he was above everyone around and he carried himself with a sense of nobility. Her mother stood next to him, an entire head shorter but no less intimidating. She had jet black hair and piercing dark blue eyes and a scowl that never left her face. The one who had called to Emily was her younger brother Michael. The ten-year-old was hunched over with laughter and his hair fell in front of his eyes. Emily scowled and quickly shook out her braid and the cherry blossoms were swept away by the bustle of Diagon Alley.  
“Come now, Emily. We still have to pick up the rest of your books and I can't stand being in this ruckus for much longer.”  
“Yes, mother.” Emily bowed her head.  
The Koshkovs quickly made their way through the shops. Michael stopped to stare in a window at the Nimbus 2000 but was dragged away by his ear by Katherine. Emily’s arms were killing her as her parents made her carry all of her own supplies. They were just about to exit when Emily gasped. “Look, father, a pet shop!” Emily’s green eyes sparkled as she stared in wonder at all the different animals in the window of the building. Her mother instantly turned up her nose at the uncouth display of the various creatures, but Emily had directed her emotions to her father. Who despite hiding it very well, had a soft spot for animals. “Can I get one father, please!” Emily turned her hopeful face to the older man, “I’ll bring it to Hogwarts and take care of it all by myself, I promise.”  
“Emily, we already have a family owl,” Katherine said curtly. Emily resisted groaning as she knew it was one of her strict mother’s pet peeves.  
“I know mother, but Leonardo is for the entire family, this one would just be mine, and it doesn’t have to be an owl.”  
Emily’s father looked at Katherine and said quietly, “Katherine, it could be her early birthday present.”  
“Fine. You three go up ahead, I have some…” She paused and looked cautiously behind her to the entrance of Nocturne Alley. “Other business to attend to. Come along, Michael.” And with those words, Katherine and Michael vanished into the crowd of witches and wizards. Katherine smiled up at her father who offered a weak grin in return.  
“Now,” he put a hand on Emily’s shoulder and guided her to the front door of the shop. “Let’s get you that furry friend.” Emily stepped inside and was met with a cacophony of animal noises. Her father cringed but Emily managed to control her own grimace. A bell made a high pitched tinkling and a voice spoke from behind a wall.  
“I’ll be with you folks in a minute.” The shopkeeper stuck her head out to look at who entered her shop and when she saw Emily and her tall intimidating father, she stuttered. “W-Welcome to The Winged Unicorn, Mr. Koshkov. I see you’ve brought your daughter with you…how lovely.” Emily could easily tell that the woman’s cheerfulness to see them was feigned, but she brushed it off. “Tell me, Miss Koshkov, what kind of animal you desire.”  
Emily grinned easily and even a bit menacingly, “A cat.”  
“A cat, you say?” the shopkeeper looked at Emily, a bit skeptical, “not a serpent like your family’s ever famous coat of arms?”  
Instinctively, Emily narrowed her green eyes. “Are you questioning my judgment?”  
The woman spluttered, “O-Of course not! Please, follow me.” She led Emily through the bedlam that was the front entrance and to a door that had a simple depiction of a cat with perked ears and a swishing tail. The shopkeeper opened the door and Emily stepped inside.  
There were cats everywhere. Curled up on rugs and chairs, there was even one on the chandelier. Others chased each other about the room playfully while other felines kept to themselves and hissed at anyone who came near them. “Here, Miss Koshkov.” The shopkeeper guided Emily through the chorus of meows and hisses to a large armchair that was somehow devoid of cat hair. The shopkeeper motioned for Emily to sit down and the raven-haired girl did so slowly. When the elder woman caught sight of the younger’s puzzled gaze she sighed and began to explain. “The Winged Unicorn distributes our animals in a unique way, Miss Koshkov. To ensure that the animal and the owner get along nicely, the animal will approach and choose the owner on their own.” Emily nodded in understanding and sat in the chair in silence.  
It was only about 30 seconds before a cat leaped onto the back of the chair. Emily couldn’t see it fully until it had prowled down and into her lap. It was black with white front paws and a dot of white on its nose. The cat sat in Emily’s lap and looked up at her intently as if studying her. Its amber eyes scattered around her face for about a minute before the cat made itself more comfortable and settled down and began kneading its paws into Emily’s stomach.  
“Looks like that’s the one.” The woman said, unable to keep the small smile from creeping onto her face despite her customer’s frightening last name. “Well,” she asked Emily, “what are you going to name him?”  
Emily hummed as she scratched the cat behind the ears, “Vorona” the shopkeeper grinned.  
“I’ll go get you a collar for him. Oh, and Mr. Koshkov, you may pay at the front.” Emily left the shop giving her father a rare genuine smile. Xavier was smiling too, but more at the cat than his daughter. Emily was walking through the crowd when she bumped into a boy about her age and nearly fell over. Emily quickly regained her balance and looked at whom she’d crashed into. The boy had messy jet black hair that hung a bit over his eyes and had a pair of bright green eyes that reminded Emily almost of her own behind a pair of round glasses. The boy was carrying a large cage with a snowy owl inside. He held a hand to his forehead and groaned as he had fallen down.  
“Sorry,” Emily apologized and helped the boy up. “I didn’t see you there.” She quickly saw the familiar titles of books in the boy’s cauldron. “Going to Hogwarts too?”  
The boy nodded happily. “It’s my first year.”  
“Me too.” Emily smiled. “My name’s Emily Koshkov.”  
“I’m-” but before the boy could finish his sentence Emily heard her mother shouting her name from behind her.  
“I’ve got to go,” Emily said, looking over her shoulder and waving at the boy. “But I’ll see you at Hogwarts.” The boy waved back before Emily turned around and disappeared into the crowd.


	2. Chapter 2

Platform 9¾ was bustling with students and parents of all different ages, every one carrying a trolley piled high with luggage and school books. Emily was no different as she handed her large jet black trunk to one of the crew members on the train as well as her school bag. She kept Vorona to herself and planned to let him roam about the cabin once she was on board. Emily turned to face her parents with a cheerful smile, only to find her mother was busy dictating things to a dark green quick quotes quill; Michael was busy trying to steal things from the trolleys of the other students. Emily’s father was the only one who offered her a warm half grin, she accepted that’s as much as she was going to get and turned her back on her family to board the train to Hogwarts without so much as a hug. 

A sea of waving hands bid Emily goodbye as the train left the station and Emily cheerfully stuck her head out of the window to wave back even though she knew none of the hands were for her. After about 5 minutes of waving, the students began to leave the windows and find compartments with their friends from school. The problem was, Emily didn’t have any friends that she knew would be on the train. Her parents had made sure that she was extremely cultured and experienced with people from foreign countries; as such, Emily’s closest friend Clarissa now lived in France and Sabrina had moved to China last summer. Emily waited until the corridor was empty and she took Vorona out of his cage and he stretched out on the floor. She reached into the pockets of her robes and pulled out her bottomless change purse, which she had gotten for her 10th birthday. Soon the cage was out of sight and Emily set out to find herself a compartment, Vorona trailing along behind her. 

Emily quickly eliminated the cars with majority Hufflepuff or Gryffindor because Emily knew she just wouldn’t quite fit in with them. She also abandoned cars that had no first years, because in Emily’s mind, who would want to spend time around a first year if they were not one themselves? Emily expected that she would already be sick of her own kind by a few months into term. At the end of one of the last cars, she spotted a compartment with two boys in it, both in first-year robes. One had a long nose, freckled face and red hair, and the other had dark hair and round glasses. Hold on, that’s the boy she saw in Diagon Alley! Emily wasted no time in opening the compartment door and waving at them. 

“Hello,” she said, “sorry if I was interrupting any conversation. I just-”

“I know you,” the raven-haired boy stood up from his seat and pointed at Emily. 

She smiled and nodded, “Exactly, that’s why I just had to stop by and say hello. I’m glad you got on the train all right.” The boy grinned happily.

He turned around to his redheaded friend. “Ron, this is my friend, Emily. Emily, this is Ron Weasley and Ron, this is Emily Koshkov.” Ron froze in his seat and gained an icy cold stare that he directed at Emily. 

“Get out.” He said suddenly. His voice was stern and commanding and Emily furrowed her brows. 

Emily blinked in surprise, “I-I’m sorry?” she said warily. 

“You heard me,” Ron said, rising from his seat. “I said get out, Koshkov. Your kind isn’t welcome here.” 

“And what kind exactly is that?” Emily asked, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“The kind that belongs to the lying, stuck up, blood status-obsessed families of England.” 

Emily tried desperately to show that his words hadn’t stung. She breathed fiercely through her nose, “Fine, Weasley. I’ll leave. Come on, Vorona.” Emily said to her cat, who had seated himself in the center of the compartment. His tail swishing back and forth, he gave a quick hiss to the rat sitting next to Ron before following Emily down the hall again. As she closed the door she heard Weasley’s voice. 

“Trust me, Harry,” he said, “Some people you just can’t trust around here.” Emily stopped dead in her tracks.  _ Harry? As in Harry Potter? _ Emily had half a mind to storm back into the compartment with a claim that as far as she knew, the great Harry Potter thought she was a friend. But she didn’t go back, she only looked forward and kept walking. Vorona pawed at her heels and Emily picked him up as she continued. A few cars down, she saw the unmistakable head of blonde hair that belonged to Draco Malfoy and immediately turned around. There was no way that she would be dealing with him again. So she settled for wandering around until she was forced to find a place to sit. 

She closed the car door behind her and turned around to find a boy about her age peering into different compartments. He had a round face and short brown hair, and his robes, which bore the Hogwarts Crest instead of just a single house told Emily he was a first year. Emily hoped she could have better luck with this boy than with Nasty Weasley. 

“Hello,” Emily said, nervously playing with the tips of Vorona’s black ears. “Are you looking for something?” 

The boy turned to look at her and nodded, “Yes, my toad, Trevor. I’ve lost him.” 

“Lost a toad?” Emily said, puzzled. 

He nodded, undeterred, “Have you seen one?” 

“No I’m afraid not, and I’ve been wandering up and down the last five cars for a while now and haven’t seen anything.” The boy grumbled. There was a long pause, “What’s your name?” Emily asked, leaning down to drop Vorona gently on the ground. 

“Neville Longbottom.” the boy said, almost being knocked off his feet as the train jolted. Emily’s lips parted. Was it at all possible to run into someone whom her family wasn’t involved with at some point? She just wanted to meet someone from a family she’d never heard of so she could start fresh. Neville quirked his head when Emily said nothing. “Umm, are you alright?” 

“I’m sorry about your parents,” Emily whispered, and Neville’s face blanched. He stuttered over his words but couldn’t come up with anything. “I’m sorry,” Emily offered a sad smile. “I just wanted to let you know that I truly am sorry before I tell you my name.” Neville gave her a look that said,  _ Which is… _ “Emily Koshkov.” 

Emily didn’t think Neville’s face could have gotten any whiter than it already was but she was wrong. 

Instantly, he spluttered out, “I don’t think we should be talking.” 

“I know, but I want to help you find Trevor and I don’t want to be forced to sit in a compartment with people who will treat me based on my lineage. So can we maybe… just… keep this between us?”  

Neville was silent for around 30 seconds before nodding, “I suppose so. Let’s start with this direction Koshk-… Emily.” Emily smiled at him and set off to search. 

 

By the end of the train ride, Emily was seriously doubting that Neville even had a toad because they had searched every nook and cranny on the train but they couldn’t find Trevor anywhere. The grim thought that the toad might have jumped out the window crossed Emily’s mind, but she didn’t mention this to Neville. The train slowed to a halt and Emily managed to put Vorona back in his cage and put that in her change purse before she was roughly shoved out of the car by some of the other students. 

The platform was small and it was dark outside; there was a bit of rain drizzling down into Emily’s hair and she held up her hand to shield herself. She saw the light of a lamp through the darkness which was being carried by an enormous man. He was almost twice the size of all the other students, he had a full head and beard of scraggly black hair and was wearing a large moleskin overcoat. 

“First years!” he called, “First years follow me!” 

Emily, having lost track of Neville in the bustle, mindlessly followed the glow of the lamp. It was so dark outside of that Emily could barely see where she was going and it was only a matter of time before she crashed into someone. She would have expected not to know the person she fell into and just brush it off before seeing that person a few times in the hall and eventually forgetting all about it and them. But fate had played a cruel trick as Emily stumbled forward and nearly knocked someone over, a boy, who was about one or two inches taller than she was. 

“Hey!” His voice shouted, whipping around to see who had run into him. His grey eyes were illuminated a pale yellow by the lamplight and cast golden beams onto his hair. “Koshkov,” Malfoy’s face was angry but, his expression then changed to a smirk. “Look at that, you’re falling for me already.” 

Emily crinkled her nose at him, “Damn, I was hoping to fall for someone with a at least half a brain.” Malfoy sneered and continued down the path. Emily allowed herself a small smile in her moment of victory before a rather large raindrop fell directly into her eye and she was forced to continue. 

“Up here’s your first view of Hogwarts!” the man with the lamp shouted and Emily stood up on her tiptoes to see over the crowd and Hogwarts came into view.

Hogwarts Castle is a large, seven-story high building supported by magic, with many towers and turrets and very deep dungeons. It was in a valley area surrounded by the outline of mountains in the dark. In front of Emily was the fairly large Great Lake to the south of the main building. 

“No more than four to a boat!” he called to the students. Emily noticed the rows of boats at the lake’s edge. The area was much more well-lit now because each boat had its own lantern in it. 

Somehow Emily ended up in a boat with a boy with spiky hair and an Irish accent, a wide-eyed girl with puffy dirty blonde hair, and Draco Malfoy. It would have been alright if Malfoy wasn’t constantly ‘accidentally’ trying to push Emily off of the boat. That was only on the bank though, as when everyone was in their boats, the man shouted for them to go forward. Every boat moved of its own accord and glided effortlessly across the lake. Emily wasn’t sure if Malfoy had stopped bothering her because he was just generally being kind, or the unreal beauty and architectural feat that was Hogwarts made him forget all about his little game. Either way, Emily was just happy she could enjoy the ride in peace. It was quite a long ride, so the people in the boat got to know each other a bit, mostly just names though. Emily learned that the girl was Hannah Abbott and the boy was Seamus Finnigan. Malfoy looked very pleased as he announced his own name and Emily made sure to say her name as a wave lapped against the side of the boat so no one could hear it quite clearly.  

They passed through a curtain of ivy before getting out on the docks inside of a giant cliff. Luckily, the man with the lantern, Hagrid, as Emily heard Harry call him, had found Neville’s toad. They were lead up another pathway until they reached the front doors. Here they were sternly greeted by Professor McGonagall, an old witch dressed in green with square glasses. Hagrid handed them off and McGonagall led them through the castle. Emily felt the items in the pockets of her robes to make sure they were all there. Her wand, her change purse, the ribbon she used to tie up her hair, and a spare cauldron cake from the trolley. Emily saw the looks of awe on some of the other student’s faces. They were presumably from poorer families as Emily found that there was nothing unusual about the gargantuan sizes of the Hogwarts hallways or staircases. 

The group walked by a large door where voices could be heard and were instead filed into a small room. Everyone was pushed far too close together for comfort and now Emily was really regretting standing in front of Malfoy, whom she could sense was just a little too close for her liking. 

“Welcome to Hogwarts,” McGonagall said, standing at the head of the crowd. “The start of term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the great hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts.” Emily grimaced. If she was sorted into Slytherin, and she fully expected to be, Emily predicted that they would be just as welcoming as her real-life family was. It was at times like these when she wished she could be a Ravenclaw. To just be in a house that wasn’t renowned for turning out one dark wizard after another. To be in a house that wasn’t always fighting a social battle that they would lose because all the other houses hated them. To have a common room that wouldn’t be so cold and dark and damp all the time. Emily could do it, she had the book smarts after all and the ache to learn, but she had a legacy to uphold. If she came home wearing navy blue, she wouldn’t have a home anymore. McGonagall continued speaking, “You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The sorting ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school and I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you’re waiting. I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly.” And she left the chamber, leaving most of the students petrified. 

Emily waited patiently, her expression calm, rolling her eyes at a girl with bushy brown hair and large front teeth who was going on about all the spells she was going to use. Emily glanced around the room, she saw Neville and Seamus, and Ron Weasley, who was again talking to… Harry Potter. Yes, Emily could see it clearly now, the lightning-shaped scar on the boy’s forehead. So it was true, Harry Potter had come to Hogwarts, and was in her year no less. Suddenly, Professor McGonagall had returned and opened the doors to the Great Hall. It was a massive room with pillars lining the sides and four tables that carried on for the entire length of the room. Each table seemed to be carrying students who all wore the same color robes, a scarlet collection was on the far right, canary yellow next to it, dark blue in the center-left table and on the far left were students all clad in emerald green. At the end of the hall, there was another long table that ran horizontally, which was filled with teachers. The ceiling displayed the clear night sky, covered in stars, and hundreds of candles hovering above each table. Even though she stopped in awe of it all, Emily was pushed forward by the other first years until they had all came to a halt at the end of the hall. 

On an old stool, lay an old worn wizards hat. Emily looked at it, puzzled until she realized it was the fabled sorting hat. Suddenly, it twitched to life and began to sing. It described its purpose and the four houses. Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart, their daring nerve and chivalry set Gryffindors apart. Hufflepuff, where they are just and loyal, those patient Hufflepuffs are true and unafraid of toil. Or in wise old Ravenclaw, if you have a ready mind, where those of wit and learning will always find their kind. Or perhaps in Slytherin, you’ll make your real friends, those cunning folk use any means to achieve their ends. A variety of expressions crossed the first years' faces as the entire hall burst into applause. The hat bowed and then stilled. Emily’s fingers began to twitch as she got more and more nervous. 

Professor McGonagall stepped forward and pulled a long roll of yellowed parchment from her robes and unrolled it. Emily could see the list of names on the other side of the paper through the candlelight. “When I call your name,” she said, “you will put sit in the stool, put on the hat, and wait to be sorted.” McGonagall glanced at the first name on the list. “Abbott, Hannah.” The girl from Emily’s boat stumbled forward and put the had on her head. There was a moment of silence before the sorting hat shouted, 

“Hufflepuff!” The table to the middle right burst into thunderous applause and the other three tables clapped respectively. The next student was also a Hufflepuff, followed by a Ravenclaw, and another Ravenclaw. Seamus Finnigan, the other boy from the boat, after a whole minute of thinking by the sorting hat was declared as a Gryffindor as well as the girl who was blabbering earlier, Hermione Granger. Emily started shaking, the last names got closer and closer to the letter K until, 

“Koshkov, Emily!” McGonagall said and Emily took a deep breath as she stepped forward. Each step she took seemed to get heavier and heavier until she finally sat down on the stool and McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat over her head. It was too big for her and instantly fell over her eyes. Emily could only see darkness as a voice echoed in her mind, one that she was sure no one else could hear. 

“Another Koshkov I see.” The hat said. It paused as if it was thinking. “But this one a bit different from the others, quite different, in all honesty…I wonder how your family would feel if they came home with a daughter in Hufflepuff.” 

“Please, no.” Emily whispered under her breath, “I need to survive for the next seven years.” 

“Ah,” the Sorting Hat scoffed, “You are far too impatient anyways, and Gryffindor would not be a good fit either. Hmm… You have a ready mind and are curious to learn, Ravenclaw would suit you well…you also are quite cunning, prideful and determined. This is a difficult one.” Emily closed her eyes, silently praying. Please, please, please she thought, I’ll do anything just, please-

“Slytherin!” the hat shouted and Emily breathed out a sigh of relief. She melted into her chair and the hat was taken off of her head, revealing the emerald table on the far left applauding loudly. She strode over and sat down, accepting whatever hand was thrust in her face for her to shake. Emily was rapidly introduced to Marcus Flint a fifth year with short black hair and freckles. And fellow first years such as Millicent Balustrade, a hulking girl with short dark brown hair, Heather Howard, a girl with dark blonde hair in a high ponytail and Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, who were both hulking brutes Emily decided she’d rather stay away from. 

The applause had died down and McGonagall called the next name, “Longbottom, Neville!” Emily recognized the boy, who fell over on his way to the stool. Several of the Slytherins snickered and Emily cracked a sympathetic smile. After deliberation, the hat settled on Gryffindor and Emily clapped lightly. McGonagall called the next name, “Malfoy, Draco!” Draco sauntered up to the front of the stage like he owned the place. And the hat had barely rested on his head for less than a second before shouting, 

“Slytherin!” Draco, seeming extremely satisfied, marched over to the Slytherin table and sat himself down next to Emily. 

“Fancy meeting you here, Koshkov.” Emily rolled her eyes as the sorting ceremony continued. “I was a bit nervous back there.” He whispered as the next name was called.

“Really, but you were sorted into Slytherin in less than a second,” Emily whispered back. They both clapped halfheartedly as someone was sorted into Ravenclaw. 

“Not about me, about you. I was afraid you weren’t going to make it and your family would throw you out. You’d become a beggar on the street and I’d be guilt-tripped into giving you money every time I passed.” 

“Why on earth would you think all that?” 

“Do you know how long you were up there?” Draco answered the question before Emily could reply, “Almost 10 minutes.” 

Emily was quiet as the sorting continued, only really paying attention to those sorted into her own house. A blonde boy named Theodore Nott, a girl with pinched features called Pansy Parkinson, shortly followed by Claire Pendleton, who looked like she was somewhere else in her mind and didn’t know where she was going. Then another name was called that made the hall go silent, “Potter, Harry!” McGonagall shouted, and everyone was silent. Emily saw Harry slowly climb the steps and sit down on the stool. He was there for a long time, almost for as long as Emily was there until the hat finally shouted, 

“Gryffindor!” It was the loudest applause of the evening and Emily noticed Draco clapping louder than usual. Emily sent him a quizzical look. 

“I’m just glad Potter’s not with us.” Emily rolled her eyes yet again and turned her eyes back to the stage. After Ron Weasley was sorted into Gryffindor, the second pair of identical twins were called to the stage after Parvati and Padma Patil, one a Gryffindor, the other a Ravenclaw. McGonagall called Summer Wheeler to the stool. Summer Wheeler was a short girl with dark brown eyes and skin the color of coffee ice cream. Her air was an ashy blonde and was tied into a braid that was thrown over her left shoulder. She marched up to the sorting hat with a large grin that failed to leave her face and seemed to have a certain unrelenting spunk and constant confidence as she sat under the sorting hat. It debated for a while before placing her into Ravenclaw. Summer skipped to the table and sat down, already chatting excitedly. Then Sunday Wheeler was called up, she had the same eyes and skin and hair color, only a braid over her right shoulder instead of left. Unlike her sister, her face held a neutral expression that stayed there even as the Sorting Hat declared another Ravenclaw. Expressionless, she found her seat and Emily saw Summer hug her sister happily. The last person to be sorted was Blaise Zabini, a handsome boy with dark skin that sat down smirking at the Slytherin table.

Emily looked up at the head table as Albus Dumbledore stood up from his seat and opened his arms in a grand welcome to all of the students. Emily gave him a quizzical look, Emily’s parents had always been a bit skeptical about Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore because of his slightly strange demeanor, but in the end, they accepted it as he was such a powerful wizard. Power had always been an important thing to the Koshkovs. 

“Welcome!” Dumbledore said, “Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet I would like to say a few words. And here they are, nitwit, blubber oddment, tweak, thank you.” The headmaster sat back down and everyone clapped enthusiastically. 

Draco looked skeptically at Emily, “He’s a bit of a loon isn’t he?” 

“Oh not at all.” Someone said from behind Emily. She turned to find Claire Pendleton, the vacant looking girl from earlier. “Don’t you see he’s making perfect sense?” Emily was about to look for a true deeper meaning in Dumbledore’s words but taking a closer look at Claire told Emily it was best just to keep to her own dinner and not worry too much about it. 


End file.
